In a world of webcams and Snapchat, Constance Faulk and Eric Vogel’s take on sexual imagery is a breath of fresh air.

The Brooklyn-based photographers, both 37, earn their living taking pictures of couples having sex and use different photographic techniques to produce faceless, dream-like images.

‘We capture the emotions of sexuality as opposed to the literal, glossed sterile depiction of it,’ says Vogel, who says he and his wife were tired of the photo industry’s definition of beauty. ‘What better way to show all sizes and ages are sexy than by photographing people when they are being themselves?’

While some couples find the experience a turn-on, others find it a little strange. ‘We meet beforehand to discuss what sort of images they want and how we can make the experience as comfortable as possible,’ says Faulk. ‘We shoot in a studio, homes or hotel rooms.

‘Everyone is different: the people we have met run the gamut from some closing their eyes the whole time to avoid seeing us, to others chatting during the whole shoot.’

Faulk and Vogel, who have been married for five years and have a child, have snapped 140 couples and have a permanent piece of work in New York’s Museum of Sex. As well as going home with some abstract images, they believe the experience can strengthen a couple’s bond.

‘Being shot by us really asks for a lot in terms of communication,’ says Faulk. ‘Openness with each other is imperative to have this sort of experience. This is the kind of discussion that facilitates the honesty that galvanises strong relationships.

‘Some couples have been together for years and still have that newness and excitement that is usually associated with new relationships. You don’t have to be young to have a hot sex life.’

The concept of real-deal sex over the fabricated version we’re all so familiar with is something MakeLoveNotPorn.com founder Cindy Gallop has been championing for years.

Her site, which she launched at a TED conference in 2009, allows couples to upload videos of themselves having sex. She says it’s not porn, nor amateur porn – she calls it ‘real-world sex’.

‘Porn is performative and most “amateur” porn is either professional porn companies masquerading as amateurs or amateurs replicating what they see in porn because they think that’s what people want to see,’ she says. ‘Make Love Not Porn is about capturing the funny, messy, wonderful, ridiculous, glorious humanness all of us engage in.’

Gallop hopes that by watching real people have real sex, people will be less ashamed of their bodies and more confident with their partners. Faulk and Vogel are already experimenting with video, so don’t be surprised if you see lots more of Gallop’s real-world sex.